


So Angels Shall Whisper

by fatigued_fan



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Castiel is a Novak (Supernatural), Charlie Bradbury & Dean Winchester Friendship, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Dean Winchester Knows What Dean Winchester Wants, Family Issues, Fluff, Handyperson Dean Winchester, Happy Ending, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Inspired by Hallmark Christmas Movies, Lawyer Castiel (Supernatural), M/M, Mild Angst, Mild Language, Small Towns, cas is a grinch, mild family trauma, sort of Found Family, this plot makes like zero sense but oh well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:07:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27925009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fatigued_fan/pseuds/fatigued_fan
Summary: Castiel Novak, lawyer extraordinaire, has always hated the holidays and his small hometown of Port Omau. Living in the big city, a tragic phone call brings him rushing back to his hometown for the heart of the holidays. Lost in a sea of heartbreak and ice, local handyman Dean Winchester offers Castiel an island of solace and Christmas cheer.Christmas is a season of cheer and of heartbreak but maybe, just maybe, it will prove to be a season of  love for Castiel Novak.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, established Sam Winchester/Eileen Leahy
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by all the Hallmark Christmas movies I watch with my dad every year.

Trekking down the ice slickened sidewalks of downtown Toronto, Castiel Novak found solace in the steely grey monoliths that loomed overhead. The big city was an entity unto itself, a living breathing thing that seemed to envelop everything around Castiel. Cracks in the sidewalks gave way to the interior of the city and the skyscrapers loomed above like menacing fingers ready to come down and snatch the unsuspecting people from their meandering about the streets. The steam rising through the manhole covers dragged a sour note through the air and Castiel held his breath as he crossed Dundas street, making his way towards the city hall. 

It always amused him to watch the others who called the city home and to see just how inspecting those who were visiting seemed. The city hardened its citizens, made them wary and mistrustful of anyone and everyone in their immediate vicinity. You never knew if the man waiting at the corner would try to snatch your bag or if the quiet lady working the corner store was secretly waiting for you to drop some inane amount of cash out of your pocket. That being said, Castiel had always found that those who called Toronto home seemed at ease with its intricate winding streets and the way everything just seemed to consistently loop back around. Sure it was a clusterfuck, but the clusterfuck was home. 

Now those who didn’t live in Toronto or at least visit often, those people were the easiest to spot and they brought Castiel the most joy in his life. Their heads were consistently turning, their gaze furtive as they read the next street sign and the advertisements that flashed by on every GO train. Either they kept a death grip on their bags or they swung freely from their arms and 

Castiel grinned at the idea of watching them lose a bag from being so careless. 

Turning from his musings to the door in front of him, Castiel pushed it open and entered city hall. Working at City Hall had its perks, namely the fact there were so many coffee shops nearby and the fact that being a city employee meant he had great perks in regards to health benefits and a great pension if he ever retired. Waving at the receptionist when he entered, he took a hard left and made his way down to the office.

“So, Balthazar, how goes the sewage plant documentation?” He chuckled, setting a coffee down on the desk that he shared with the other man. “You get any farther than yesterday? I know that the abstract was giving you grief.”

“Well I got past the abstract after making notes of every goddamn typo there was, which was a lot by the way, and now I’m stuck on the background knowledge of why we have sewage treatment plants. I feel like they don’t understand that me being a city worker means that I already kind of have an in-depth knowledge of shit like this.” Balthazar replied, running a hand through his spiky blond hair. He was a slightly taller than average man with the kind of accent that either charmed women or made them think he was a pompous jerk. The latter was true, but they really didn’t need to know that.

“Better than what I’m doing. The city wants to add bike lanes to even more places so now I have to read over all these permits and make sure everything is in order. I swear to god my brain is going to melt if I have to do this bullshit for much longer.” Cas muttered. “At least my Christmas bonus will be good this year, if you factor into it the fact that I plan on working all through Christmas and when everyone else takes their breaks.”

“God you’re such a grinch. I still can’t believe that you’re actually going to work through Christmas this year, you literally told me you wanted to go home and spend time with your parents.

“Well that was a year and a half ago before my mom died and besides, my dad still has my brothers to spend time with so it doesn’t actually matter if I’m home or not. Besides, you know how much I fucking hate Port Omau.”

“I get that growing up in a small town on a great lake sucks but don’t you think that your dad might need everyone this Christmas? Like he lost his wife just like you lost your mom, that can't be easy for him. Sure your brothers are there but are they really gonna help? We both know that you were the closest with your mom and probably the last thing your dad has to remind him of her.” Balthazar sighed. 

“Look, I already told my family that I wasn’t coming home for Christmas because I have too much to do. Besides, I’d rather not see any of them anyway. You know that I think Michael is a pretentious douchebag, Jimmy’s a pushover softie, and Dad is well- he’s just himself. The only person I actually care about is my aunt Amara and she doesn't seem like she’s that sad so I’m not coming back home.”

“Sorry for bringing it up, jeez.” Balthazar muttered, holding his hands up in defense. “I’m going back to London to visit my family, I want to introduce them to my girlfriend this year.

“So it’s getting serious then, that’s good.” Cas smiled, pausing to pick up the stack of papers for the bike lane project. “Is it like proposal serious yet?”

“We’ll see what my mum thinks of her first. If mum approves and I think she will, I’ll propose. I just don’t want her to be stuck with a bitch of a mother in law for her entire life, ya know?”

“Yeah, fair enough. I know how anal your mom can be, she still hasn’t forgiven me for how I drink my tea.” Cas chuckled. 

“Considering you drink basically just warm milk with mild tea flavor, I don’t blame her for not forgiving you.” Balthazar replied. Drinking tea like that was a crime; it shouldn't be pale and white and it shouldn’t have a zillion teaspoons of sugar in it either. “Are you gonna try and find someone to spend the holidays with? Like a new boyfriend or something?”

“Considering how badly my breakup with Aaron went and how fresh it still is, I really don’t think that starting to date again so soon is a great idea.” He sighed, shaking his head. “We both know I’ve had like zero success with Grindr and Tinder is just toxic for the gays so online dating hasn’t exactly been promising for me.”

“That’s because everyone assumes you’re a dom or a top or something like that. Which you clearly aren’t.”

“Hey, watch it with that! I am not some feminine bottom bitch, I’m a switch.” Cas muttered. 

“Yeah, okay. You may have the dom eyebrow and the shoulder muscles but deep down we both know you like getting railed. Or at the very least, power bottoming for some tall lumberjack with daddy issues.”

“That was one time and you know that.” He huffed, folding his arms defensively over his chest. “I am not gonna bottom for some random guy, we both know that he’s gonna have to work at it before he gets a chance. Now are you gonna start doing work or do I have to call Naomi down in HR to report you for sexual harassment?” 

“Learn to take a joke, Novak.” Balthazar muttered before he turned back to his permits and paperwork, the vein in his temple beginning to throb. God this job was tedious. 

Days at the office always seemed to drag for Castiel, regardless of whatever project he was working on. He didn’t know if the lack of mentally stimulating permits was what caused it or if it was the fact that there was a deep hole in his mind that he knew was due to the weight of all of his unachieved and forgotten dreams. Regardless of all of it, the clock seemed to taunt every day and today was no exception. He dimly wondered if it would fall if he chucked a piece of paper at it but decided against it. The wrath of Zachariah was not worth the idle second of amusement he would get from watching the useless piece of technology fall and break on the carpeted floor. 

Noon was lunch time and for Cas, it meant the same overly soggy caesar salad and stale croutons from the cafeteria and the same over brewed burnt coffee from the cart in the hallway. Two saw Castiel’s daily meeting with his boss and the other department heads to discuss whatever the new issues for the week were, and four saw the end of the work day for Castiel. The trek home was maybe a half hour at most depending on how congested foot traffic was and by five Castiel was always home and relaxing, his orange tabby cat curled up on his lap and purring contently. 

At this particular moment it was 5:22 and he had just settled down on the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table as he stroked along Pumpkin’s back. “You know you’re such a sweet little girl.” He cooed. 

Pumpkin purred in response and began to knead at Cas’ thighs with her paws. Their peaceful little paradise was interrupted when Castiel’s phone began to buzz for the fourth time that day. Sighing in annoyance, he reached to pick up his phone and swore at the caller ID.

Michael. 

What the hell did he want? If it was about Christmas, there was no way in hell that Cas would give in and go home. Knowing Michael would continue to call, Cas accepted the call and brought the phone up to his ear. “You’re ruining my peaceful night, what the hell do you want?”

“Well hello to you too.” Michael muttered. “Have you talked to dad at all since mom died?”

“We both know that I don’t exactly agree with how he handled mom’s funeral so no, I haven’t. Why? Is he pissed that I decided not to come home for Christmas or something?”

“He’s dead.”

Cas paused and his eyes widening, the muscles in his chest tightening painfully. Michael had to be fucking with him, had to be pulling some horrible prank just to get back at Cas for abandoning them after their mother. If this was true, if their dad was dead, then the holiday had just gotten even worse. 

“Michael, I swear to God I will murder you if you are fucking with me.” Cas hissed, his voice deepening. “Is this some idea of a joke to get back at me for leaving after what happened to mom? Because you know that the only reason I left was because of dad and how he was acting.”

“Do you really think I would joke about something like that? I’m not some petty child like Gabriel, you know how serious I am about family. He passed about a week ago, had a heart attack, we think it was because he was so lonely after mom. Sure Jimmy and I visited him but he missed you and mom and it just wasn't the same.”

“A week ago and you’re just telling me now?!” Cas half yelled, his eyes beginning to burn. Sure his father had been a bastard but he had still been his father and losing both parents in less than two years was enough to catch him off guard. 

“Well you have a habit of not picking up my calls and I honestly didn’t think you’d care or want anything to do with the funeral prep and whatnot.”

“Well I don’t want anything to do with it and I don’t want to come back home either, you know that I hate Port Omau.” Cas muttered, wiping at his eyes with the back of his hand. Now was not the time to cry over this. That would come later, preferably with copious amounts of alcohol and maybe a marathon of some mindless comedy show that wasn’t actually funny, like Friends or The Office. 

“I know you do which is why I didn’t even want to call you about it in the first place.”

“So why are you calling then? You already know what my answer is so this is just a pointless phone call that’s only making me angry and annoying you.” Cas sighed, stretching out and running his hand back over Pumpkin’s fur to calm himself down and get her situated again. 

“I’m calling because of Jimmy and Aunt Amara.” Michael replied, pausing to take a sip of what Cas assumed was tea. “You know how sensitive Jimmy is and how he still isn’t over mom’s death. Well, he was there just when dad was passing and he’s really broken up about it. I’ve never seen him this bad before, not even when Amelia dumped him the first time. As for Aunt Amara, you know how close her and dad were. Normally she comes by every day but I don’t think she’s left her house in like three days and I’m getting really worried. I’m doing what I can to help them but it isn’t enough. I know you’re closer with them than me, I could really use you back home this Christmas.”

Cas had been fully prepared to hang up the phone but the mention of Jimmy and of his Aunt Amara brought him back to reality. Jimmy was his twin, born about an hour before him, and he was the closest sibling Cas had. They had shared everything growing up and as such, had a bond so strong that Cas could practically feel how badly Jimmy was hurting. He knew from experience that Jimmy was either throwing himself into work to cope with the fact that he had lost both of their parents in such a short span of time or that he was just laying in bed and unable to function, that Jimmy's assistant Hannah was taking over all of his work responsibilities. 

Now Aunt Amara was a bit of a different story. She was their father’s older sister, the crazy aunt who had taken them on countless adventures as children. To this day Cas could recall her teaching them about what berries to eat and what berries to avoid, about how to fish, and how to make smores in the middle of the night under the stars. Amara had always been this guiding light in their lives but Cas knew, deep down, that she was falling into a pit of darkness. Her smile would be fading and the years would be returning to her face as she numbly went about her day, trying to organize everything her brother had left with accepting anyone else’s help. 

“So they’re spiraling then.” Cas sighed, removing Pumpkin from his chest as he sat back up.

“Big time spiraling.” Michael agreed.

“Can you give me a few days? I need to find someone to watch my cat and to try and convince my boss to give some time off. Shouldn’t be a problem, I have a ton of unused leave since I never take time off of work.”

“Yeah, I can give you a few days to get some stuff packed up and get everything in order. I’ll get your living arrangements at home all set up and send you all of the details. I know you really don’t want to come home but thank you so much for doing this, we really need you this year.”

“Yeah, see you in a bit.” Cas said before he hung up and set the phone down on the coffee table. He smiled tiredly down at Pumpkin before getting to his feet and crossing the parent to his bedroom. “Well Pumpkin, looks like you’re going to be spending Christmas with the landlady. Hope that’s okay.”

Pumpkin knew enough that landlady meant Cas would be leaving and she meowed indignantly, jumping into the bottom of his half full suitcase to make herself at home and stop Cas from leaving her. Cas shook his head and pulled her out, setting her on the bed and continuing to shove more clothing into his suitcase. 

“I know you’re unhappy with it baby but my family needs me.” Cas sighed as he sat down, scratching behind her ears. “I don’t like the idea of going home either but I’m not heartless, I need to make sure they’re okay. Okay, stop looking at me like I’m the bad guy. I know not going home for Christmas makes me a dick but you know how I feel about Christmas, especially when it’s around my family.”

Pumpkin only purred in response and butted her head against Cas’ hand, perfectly content to sit next to him until he shipped her off to the landlady. She wasn’t particularly happy when Cas finally decided to talk to the landlady, mewling in annoyance when he scooped her up and knocked on the door. 

The landlady was a bubbly blonde woman and she smiled at Cas when she opened the door, immediately taking Pumpkin from him. “I take it that you need to watch this sweetheart for a little while?”

“If you could, I would really appreciate it.” He nodded. “Some stuff came up back home so I need to be there for Christmas. I’m not sure how long I’m going to have to be there, it could be a week but it could be all of December.” 

“Do you want to talk about it or is this something that you’d rather keep private?” she asked, setting Pumpkin down. 

“My dad died. My brothers and my aunt are a mess, I need to go home and take care of things so that they can grieve.” He explained, running a hand over his face. 

“Oh sweetheart, that’s awful.” She frowned, reaching out to wrap her arms around Cas in a hug. “Do you want to come in for some tea or coffee and talk for awhile? Or would you rather just get going?”

Cas’ lips twitched into a tired smile and he allowed himself to be hugged for a few minutes, craving the kind of affection he so rarely got. “I would stay for tea but I really need to get going, the drive is kind of a long one and I don’t want to get caught in a storm. It’s a long way to Port Omau.”

“I promise I’ll keep really good care of Pumpkin.” she smiled, closing the door when Cas left. 

~

Castiel was convinced that driving in Toronto was a special kind of hell formulated by an uncaring deity who only wished to punish the creations who strove to form society and groups in which they could feel a sense of belonging. If there weren't pedestrians darting out in the middle of the interaction with no warning, it was the fuckers who decided to speed down a two lane street with bikers in the bike lane. Casting all of that aside, the street signs were barely visible and the go trains made everything all the more irritating for everyone who was driving and trying to leave the tangled mess of downtown streets. What should have taken him ten minutes took him about a half hour and the second he found himself on the expressway and headed towards Port Omau, he let out a sigh of relief.

Port Omau was small, a little town just off of Lake Erie, and the closer Cas got to it the more nervous he became. It was the kind of town that was in all of those ridiculous coming of age indie movies by university film students, quaint and in the middle of buttfuck nowhere. There was one main street which had had the same pothole for seventy years that never seemed to get fixed and the same café that had been operating since the early 1900’s. The town had once been a comforting place for Cas, a place full of art and vibrancy, but it had died with his mother. 

Emily had been an angel on earth, a kind caring woman whose heart was unmatched by anyone Cas had ever met. If you needed a shoulder to cry on or someone to talk to, she had always been there. Not only was she the best elementary school teacher Port Omau had ever seen, but she was the woman who ran the soup kitchen and who organized every single community event. Even with all of her duties, she had never neglected her husband or her children. Cas fondly remembered spending rainy days curled up with her on the couch while she read him and his brother stories, or spending winter days baking sugar cookies and building snowmen. Christmas had been her favourite time of the year, that’s why he hated it so much.

The drive wasn’t long, two hours at most, and Castiel felt his fingers tense around the steering wheel when the familiar spires of the clock tower came into view in front of him. There was no turning back now and as he pulled into the parking lot of the Jolly Robin Inn, he knew that he was sealing his fate.

He was home for the holidays.


	2. We Three Kings (but really two queens)

The Jolly Robin hadn’t changed in the nine years since Castiel had left Port Omau and the instant he set his foot on the robin egg blue tiles of the floor, his spirits fell and the memories rose up like the proletariat during the French revolution. The blue and grey tiles echoed off of his boots and he tilted his head down as he recalled the first time they had run through the lobby. 

Jimmy had been in front of them, the knitted sleeves of his blue jumper trailing behind him as he leapt over the potted plants and bags of the patrons. Michael had been trailing behind Jimmy, scuffed knees beneath rough jeans and a look of pure joy on his face. He had been quiet then, a reflective sort of child and nothing like the callous adult he was now. Cas took up the rear, his small hand holding the finger of his mother and his frail little body swept up in the depths of her swirling skirt. He had always been like that, a small shy child who much preferred the company of adults to that of his raucous brothers. 

Those tiles and the overstuffed corduroy chairs sat next to the glass tables in the lobby looked worn, their fabric pilling and the glass cloudy with dust and greasy fingerprints. The plants had been taken care of though and their green vibrance brought a sort of charm back into the lobby, reminding Cas of his mother’s garden. What tore Cas’ attention away from the décor and back into the harsh reality of snow and small town Canada was the woman at the front desk. She had long brown hair curled at the ends and bangs that swept over her forehead, bright blue eyes peering out across as she broke into a wide grin at the sight of Cas and his suitcase. “Oh my goodness, Castiel!”

Cas let go of his suitcase and grinned a bit as he watched him climb over the ledge and then wrap her arms around him in a tight hug. She had always been shorter than him so he had to be careful not to choke her, his arms around her shoulders. “Well you certainly haven’t grown up much, Hannah. Still in choking range for hugs.”

“Not my fault you’re like 5’11. Your entire family is like freakishly tall.” She laughed as she pulled away. “I’m assuming that Michael called about your dad and that that’s why you’re actually here?” She asked, climbing back over the ledge to return to her seat. “Which also means that you need a room, right?”

“Yeah, Michael called me. He said that Jimmy was spiraling and so is aunt Amara, so that’s why I’m here.” He shrugged. “But I don’t actually need a room, I'm just gonna stay with aunt Amara and make sure she’s okay. I’m assuming that Jimmy isn’t doing so well and that that’s why he’s not working today.”

“Oh he’s spiraling, quite badly actually. Amelia says he hasn’t gotten out of bed in like four days kind of spiral. I don’t think he’ll drink because you know how addiction runs in your family but he’s definitely eating them out of marshmallow fluff and peanut butter at home. They’re still living in that cute place just off of evergreen if you want to pop by. Pretty sure Claire just got off of school for winter break so you’d be surprising her and you know how much she loves you.” Hannah smiled. 

“She does love me, that is true.” Cas chuckled. “I imagine she’s gotten pretty big now, must be eating them out of the house at home. You think she’s gonna actually scream when she sees me? That would be really sweet.”

“Probably. Amara’s at home, I’ve been going to see her every few days to make sure that she’s okay. She’s not doing great but that isn’t really shocking considering how close her and your dad actually were. Now go on and get out of my lobby before I give you a room key. I don’t need the handyman coming in and confusing you for Jimmy cuz that would just be messy.”

“What do you mean messy?” Cas asked, eyebrow raised. He had thought that the place needed repairs and the mention of a handyman intrigued him. It wasn’t just that it was a new face, oh no, it was the very idea of that handyman and just how handy his hands actually were.

“Dean is a flirt.” She sighed, running a hand through her hair. “He’s damn good at what he does but he cannot cool it with the flirting. Doesn’t matter that half the women in the town are drooling over him, he just can’t seem to cool it. Tried it on me and well- if I wasn’t dating Raphael then I probably would’ve dropped my pants right then and there. Anyway, he tried flirting with your brother before he realized Jimmy had a wife and kid. The look on his face was priceless, it went so so red and he could barely even get the apology out.”

Cas stopped listening the second he heard the handyman’s name. Dean… it seemed fitting. Dean was a rough and tumble kind of name, the kind of name that belonged to a man who knew how to use his hands. Did Dean have muscles, was he a big hunk with a heart of gold? Castiel wanted to know. Maybe this supposedly sexy handyman would be the break Cas needed from hookup after hookup off of grindr and failure after failure at relationships. 

“So this Dean is bisexual then?” Cas asked curiously. “I’m sure I’ll meet him later so hopefully he still has a thing for dark handsome strangers.”

“He is and I’m sure you will meet him. Now come on, get going and go see your family. They can’t hate you forever.” She chuckled, shooing Cas away from the inn. 

~

Evergreen boulevard was, as Castiel had so affectionately coined it, suburban holiday hell. Lights dripped from the roofs of houses like some liquid fire monstrosity and the sheer desire to pop every blow up Santa and snowman Cas felt was nearly overwhelming. Lights and a few small decorations would have been more than enough but this-this was Christmas overkill. This was enough to warrant Castiel gouging out his own eyes with metal spoons. Not that he would ever do that, he knew his baby blues were his best feature. At best, he would just pretend that he saw none of it and maintain his position as the family grinch. 

Making his way onto Jimmy’s driveway and finding a non-snowy spot to park was hard enough and Cas sat in the car for a few minutes to work up the nerve to knock on the door. It had been almost two years since he had seen his brother or his niece and he was concerned to say the least. Would they want to see him after all this time? Was he even welcome in their home now? How bad would Jimmy be? Cas was incredibly aware of how close Jimmy had been to not only their mother but to their father as well and had no idea what state his brother would be in. 

Knocking on the door, Cas waited rather anxiously. The anxiety seemed to fade away when he saw who had opened the door and immediately he broke into a wide grin. “Oh there’s my favourite niece!” he beamed, scooping her up and setting her against his side.

“I’m your only niece, uncle Cas.” She laughed, leaning against him. Claire Novak was nine years old and just about the cutest child Cas had ever seen. Curly blonde hair tumbled past a face with Novak blue eyes and chubby cheeks and her own small frame had none of the grace of a small child but the coiling muscle and intensity of a child who had been playing competitive sports since they were able to walk. 

“You are my only niece is true, but you’re still my favourite.” he chuckled as he stepped inside, kicking his boots off and onto the mat. That was another thing he had never understood about the Americans who had come to live in Canada or Americans in general. Why did they wear their shoes in the house? It just seemed like it would track dirt everywhere and didn’t their feet get tired? Regardless of it, he was glad to see that Jimmy had corrected that little issue with Amelia. 

“There’s no Christmas stuff because mom is too busy and daddy’s just really sad all the time.” Claire frowned, gesturing to their living room and the distinct lack of anything Christmas related. “I know daddy is sad because grandpa died and I know that’s why you’re here too. Am I going to get a Christmas or is everyone just too sad and busy this year? Because I really want a Christmas.”

The wave of nausea that swept over Cas at the lack of Christmas and how sad Claire seemed almost knocked him off of his feet. Claire was a child, she deserved to have Christmas and so much more and here it was being taken away from her for reasons that should have nothing to do with her. Amelia was undoubtedly busy at the hospital but that was no excuse to neglect Claire and Cas only felt his resentment for her growing. He understood Jimmy’s breakdown and really couldn’t be angry at Jimmy but that same courtesy didn’t extend to his sister in-law who he had never particularly liked.

“Well, I’m here now so we can have Christmas together. We can make it nice for you and your daddy.'' Cas smiled, ruffling Claire’s hair before setting her down. “Now where is your dad? I need to have a bit of a grown up talk with him.”

“He’s laying in bed like he always is.” Claire said as she took Cas’ hand and led him to the slightly ajar door of her parents’ bedroom. “I’ll be in my room, come see it when you finish talking to daddy.”

Cas nodded and stepped inside, unsure of just what to expect from his brother. He saw the bed tucked away in the corner and the vaguely human sized lump underneath it as he made his way over. Pulling the covers away from where Castiel assumed his brother’s face was, he finally came face to face with what their father’s death had done to Jimmy. Jimmy’s eyes looked swollen and puffy, the dark undereye bags adding years onto his face and the tear tracks drying down his unshaven face. Salt and pepper whiskers dotted the bottom half of his face and Cas felt a pang of pity run through him. Jimmy looked absolutely broken and Cas could barely stand it. 

“Hey Jimmy, let's get you up.” Cas said gently as he lifted Jimmy up to a sitting position, pulling the blankets away. “You’re looking a little rough, let's get you in the shower and into some clean clothes. Whattya say?”

Jimmy grumbled a bit but nodded his head and grabbed a sweater and some sweatpants before he made his way into the ensuite bathroom to clean up. While he cleaned up, Cas took the chance to clean up their bedroom. He tossed the dirty sheets into a laundry basket along with whatever clothing had been lying on the floor and remade the bed before he tidied up some of the objects on the dresser. Jimmy had always been a neat and tidy kind of person so seeing him so messy and lackadaisical was incredibly jarring. 

Cas said nothing when he saw Jimmy come out of the bathroom, just ushered him back in and had Jimmy sit on the counter so Cas could help him shave off all of the scruff. “You sure let this grow out, I might have to call you old man with all the white in it.” Cas joked.

“Claire already does, you wouldn’t be the first.” Jimmy mumbled as he tilted his head so Cas could reach. “What are you doing back here? You hate this town and you swore that you wouldn’t ever come back after mom.”

“Michael called me and told me that you and Aunt Amara were spiraling and I really couldn’t just let that happen.” Cas said, tossing the glob of shaving cream into the sink before rinsing off Jimmy’s face and applying the aftershave. “Besides, I miss seeing Claire all the time. She’s such a little cutie and she’s getting so big, what the hell are you feeding her?”

“Amelia has decided she wants to try cooking new things so whenever she’s off we get something new from some new culture. She made soup dumplings the other day and Claire went nuts for them.” He chuckled, hopping down from the counter and running a hand through his hair. “And I am spiraling, just a little. I know I shouldn’t because I have Claire to worry about but it’s just really hard. You haven’t been around, you have no idea how hard it was for dad with mom gone.”

“It’s been hard for us all.” Cas muttered.

“True, but dad lost his wife. He was barely functional Cas, I spent all of my free time making sure he was okay and semi-comfortable. All he wanted was to see you one more time before he died and he never got the chance. He wanted to make up with you for that massive fight you had, did you know that?”

“I didn’t…” Cas mumbled, glancing down at the floor as he felt a wave of hot shame wash over him. Had his father really meant to reconcile their differences and welcome him back into the fold? If so, he knew he had made a grievous mistake in refusing to return home. But it was too late to focus on that now. Dwelling on the unchangeable past would do no good for anyone. 

“Well he did but that doesn’t really matter right now. I’ll be fine, I just need some time to process things and maybe something to distract me.” Jimmy sighed. “I haven’t been a very good father as of late and I feel awful. It’s just so close to Christmas and Claire hasn’t done any of our traditions yet. I keep meaning to do them with her but then I get distracted by work or by my feelings and then it just never gets done.”

“I can tell, she’s rather upset about the lack of Christmas that’s going on in this house.” Cas nodded, pausing to stretch. “I don’t have any pressing work and I know you have to do renovations at the inn and that Amelia is busy with work. I could take Claire and do some of the stuff with her, make sure it happens. Plus it means I can spend some much needed quality time with her.”

“I’d really appreciate that actually. It would help us out and it would make Claire really happy. I actually want to show you her letter to Santa, its so incredibly sweet.” he said, shuffling to the dresser and retrieving the letter before handing it to Cas. 

_ Dear Santa, _

_ This year I saw my daddy get sad because my grandpa died. I know you can't bring grandpa back but can you make daddy happy again? He likes doggies and books and he really loves his brother, my uncle Cas.  _

_ Can you bring uncle Cas home for Christmas? I miss seeing him a lot and I miss his hugs plus I know daddy misses his brother. I want my family home for Christmas. Oh, and maybe a book of poetry by sappho. I just think girls are neat. _

_ From, Claire Novak! _

As Cas read the letter, he felt the corners of his mouth curl up in a smile. It was incredibly sweet that Claire was thinking of her family for Christmas and not asking for things for herself but it broke Cas’ heart that she had to see and know just how sad her dad was. “I definitely want to make this Christmas work for her then. I have to go see Aunt Amara but I’ll be back tomorrow to spend some time with Claire if that’s okay with you.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Jimmy nodded, following Cas out of the bedroom. He made his way to Claire’s room to sit and play with her for a while while Cas took his leave and headed back out to his aunt Amara’s. 

~

Amara was a rich woman, there was no denying that. Her home lay on a stretch of private beach right on Lake Erie, the towering spines Victorian and terrifying in nature. Arching stained glass windows looked out onto the calm frozen lake and wrought iron gates fenced in statues and an award winning garden during the summer months. The home had always been a haven for Castiel as a child, a place where he could retreat with a good book and a cat whenever his brothers grew to be too much for him. He didn’t pay too much attention as he climbed out his car though he did note the back of a man who seemed to be stringing Christmas lights on the outside of the house. 

The ladder didn’t seem all that stable and Cas found himself wondering if there would be an accident that day. Walking over towards the man, Cas watched in slow motion as the man reached just too far to the left and began to wobble. Overcorrecting himself, the man’s leg buckled and he fell from the ladder. Without so much as a second thought, Cas slid forward and reached out to catch the man. He felt the weight of the man hit his arms but he remained still, one arm tucked under his legs and the other arm across his back.

The man’s face was beautiful, despite the fresh look of panic on it. Shimmering green eyes and freckles gave way to cheekbones and lips plumper than most women. His nose was crooked and Cas thought it added to the rugged charm brought on by his flannel jacket and the smell of wood smoke coming off of him. He was handsome by all standards and Cas more than a little intrigued by him. It was only as Cas realized he was staring that he heard the man’s voice, a gruff but amused voice that sent shivers down Cas’ spine. 

“Do you often come around to save men that fall from ladders? Should I be calling you my saviour?”

“Do you often fall from ladders into the arms of a devastatingly handsome man?” Cas chuckled, setting the other man down. He allowed for his hand to linger just a second longer on the other man’s shoulders before pulling it away and clearing his throat. 

“No but if they're as devastatingly handsome as you then maybe I should make a habit out of it.” He chuckled, paying to glance up at the lights which had remained intact. “I take it you’re the third mysterious Novak brother, Castiel I think.”

“That I am. And who are you, Mr. mysterious lumberjack who falls from ladders?” Cas asked, chuckling a bit. 

“You can call me Dean.” Dean smiled, offering out his strong calloused hand for Cas to shake. “I’ve been helping your aunt Amara around the house and doing repairs at Jimmy’s inn. I take it that you’re here because of your old man? I’m sorry about that by the way, it really sucks to go through something like that around the holiday.”

“It’s unfortunate but it is what it is.” Cas shrugged. “Nice to know that my aunt has someone to look after her. I’ll leave you to the decorations, see you around Dean.”

With that Cas left Dean alone, his head almost spinning with the knowledge that the local handyman was incredibly attractive and apparently a good enough man to look after a grieving woman. Making his way inside he was pleasantly surprised to find Amara not curled up in bed but stretched out on her couch with a large glass of wine and in pajamas and fuzzy slippers. Looking up at the sound of footsteps, Amara’s blank expression turned into one of surprise and joy. “Is that Castiel I see? Oh come here sweetheart.”

Cas raised an eyebrow but said nothing and shuffled over, more than content to wrap his arms around Amara in a hug. She was much the same as she had been two years ago, long brown hair and a kind smile that made Cas melt. She wasn’t his mother but she was close enough to it that it made Cas feel safe. “I missed you too, aunt Amara.”

“What made you come all the way here? I thought you weren’t ever going to come back here.” She said, ushering Cas over to the couch to sit so they could have a chat. Amara looked tired, Cas noted, the bags under her eyes beginning to darken and the wrinkles set into her forehead growing ever deeper. 

“Well Michael called about dad and then he said that you and Jimmy weren’t doing too good so I wanted to come and make sure that you two were okay.” He said. “Plus I figured that I should come see Claire and make sure she isn’t getting into too much trouble.”

“Well that’s certainly very sweet of you.” Amara smiled, stretching out and nodding her head. “Claire’s been keeping your brother on his toes, that’s for sure. She’s started asking all these questions and I’m fairly certain that she’s discovering the fact that she actually likes girls. And you know that you don't have to worry about me.”

“I’m going to worry about you anyway, regardless of whether or not you want it.” Cas shrugged. “I’m sure you’ve been going through dad’s will and talking with his lawyer and I want to help you with that. I want to be a part of it and to lighten your load a bit. If you want me to, that is.”

Amara paused for a moment and then nodded her head slowly, polishing off the glass of wine in her hand. “It’s been incredibly hard to deal with that lawyer and everything else, especially given your father and how particular he was. If you want to help me then I’ll take it. All I want is for someone to help me move on from this.”

“Well that’s what I’ll do then. I was also hoping I would be able to stay here while I’m in town so that I wouldn’t have to stay at the inn or with Jimmy. You know how Amelia hates me.”

“She only hates you because you called her a bitch in high school for breaking Jimmy’s heart. I mean you were right but that woman knows how to hold a grudge like nobody’s business. Now I heard a bit of a kerfuffle earlier, is everything okay out there?”

“Well I caught your handyman when he fell off a ladder. We had a bit of a flirt, nothing too crazy. He’s quite the looker, that one is.”

“Dean is a sweetheart,” Amara smiled. “He’s been helping me decorate for Christmas and just helping me with moving some of your father’s things. Trust me when I say he knows how to cook a mean lasagna. He’s also single if you’re interested in him.” 

“I might be mildly interested but he isn’t my first priority right now. Right now my goal is to make sure Claire has her Christmas and gets what she wants.”

“With you on the task, I’m sure she will.”


End file.
